In April, the Office of the Center Chief Technologist kicked off the NASA-Ames Center for Innovation and Technology Enhancement (N-CITE). N-CITE is designed to facilitate communication and enable collaborations between the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) and the residents of the NASA Research Park (NRP). The ultimate goal of these collaborations is to transfer technologies of mutual interest to and from the government and the commercial sector, to contribute substantively to the NASA mission, and to foster innovation.

NASA Ames develops and manages programs, projects, and technologies that support NASA's science, exploration, aeronautics, and technology goals, with a focus on innovation. The NRP is an integrated, dynamic research and education community that brings together innovative enterprises and prominent educational and research institutions. It not only enjoys proximity to a NASA Center but lies at the heart of Silicon Valley. It is uniquely positioned to create a dynamic environment for cutting edge research aligned with NASA's future.

N-CITE will bring these two elements together to pursue multidisciplinary, product-oriented technology development and applications. Areas of interest include but are not limited to space biology and life sciences research and associated technologies, green technologies, small spacecraft and science instruments for small missions, high-confidence software and systems, and cyber-physical systems modeling and analysis. N-CITE will explicitly attempt to break down organizational barriers and encourage multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

N-CITE will facilitate exchange of information between NASA Ames and the NRP tenants through technology interchanges and invited seminars. Where specific areas of mutual interest are identified, N-CITE will translate these into concrete, practical collaborations allowing for the focused transfer of technology and the joint development of new technologies. In some cases, interested parties can partner on proposals in response to NASA and other opportunities. Ultimately, N-CITE will create enabling technologies that advance NASA's bold new missions, infuse space technologies into the commercial sector, and help drive the next wave of aerospace innovation.